Most NASCAR drivers have mastered the art of road racing and the list of contenders is deeper than ever.

There have been eight different winners at Sonoma in the past eight years and there could be another new one Sunday.

Along with the most competitive field ever, the two annual road races also have become the most physical and aggressive events on the Sprint Cup circuit, often taking on the slam-bang characteristics of a short track.

Who are the favorites?

Some familiar and not-so-obvious names.

Who’s Hot

Greg Biffle — With a win and a runnerup finish in his last two races, no one is hotter.

Joey Logano — Logano has four straight top-10 finishes and is a decent road racer, giving him a chance to continue his hot streak.

Tony Stewart — Stewart continued his steady improvement last week with his fourth straight top-10 finish.

Favorites

Clint Bowyer — Bowyer’s dominating performance last year might have surprised many, but he didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. He has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in his last six races at Sonoma and led 71 of 110 laps in last year’s win.

Marcos Ambrose — He is the closest thing NASCAR has to a road-course ringer these days. Ambrose is a superb road racer — perhaps NASCAR’s best — and has won the last two races at Watkins Glen. Seven of his 15 career top-five finishes have come on road courses, including two at Sonoma. He has finished in the top 10 in the past four Sonoma races and led 35 laps in 2010, when he stalled his car on the track while leading.

Tony Stewart — Stewart has two wins and three runnerup finishes at Sonoma, including last year, when he finished second to Bowyer. Given his recent hot streak, Stewart should be a threat again at Sonoma.

Jeff Gordon — Though he hasn’t won there since 2006, Gordon can never be counted out at Sonoma, where he has a remarkable record. Gordon has five wins, 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes in 20 races at Sonoma and hasn’t lost his touch, finishing second in 2011 and sixth last year.

The Danica Watch

Danica Patrick had one of her best finishes of the season last week at Michigan, where she finished 13th. She could be even better in her first Sprint Cup road race. Patrick has been a contender on road courses in IndyCar and the Nationwide Series and showed early this year at Martinsville that she knows how to finesse a car around tight turns that require a lot of braking. Patrick was a contender in two road races in Nationwide last year, and could be a surprise again.

Predictions

Bob Pockrass: Juan Pablo Montoya. Both of his career victories have come on road courses, including his first Cup win in 2007 at Sonoma. He has shown speed this year. Crew chief Chris Heroy has been through a Sonoma race so he has a better handle on strategy. Montoya is in a contract year, so a win would go a long way for him personally. What’s not to like? He’ll be in victory lane.

Jeff Owens: Marcos Ambrose. He has won the last two races at Watkins Glen and has been good enough to win at Sonoma. He blew the race there in 2010 and would like nothing more than to make up for his infamous snafu. He won’t let it get away this time.